It's meant to be!

HAPPY 3 MONTHS OLD!!! For the last two weeks, I have been in a dilemma on what to do about breast pumping. Tanner is a healthy baby and has done so well so far. I have gone back and forth in my mind about continuing forward or drying up and going to formula. I have done quite a bit of research and solicited advice from many. I have spoken with my lactation consultant and she naturally advised me to stay the course. The schedule I had developed over the summer was a rigorous one that was intended to stockpile milk for the baby. Once school started, I really wanted to keep it up, for Tanner's benefit, but it has just been too difficult considering my duties at school. Therefore, after much thought and prayer, my overall decision at this point is to scale back to 4 pumpings per day. This is half of the pump times and places six hours between every pump session rather than three. Of course, this will cut the supply in half, but now that Tanner is on 50/50 bottles, it actually continues the same production in a way. This will allow me to pump only once in the middle of the night, on my conference hour, right after school, and again at bedtime. (2:45 and 8:45 am + pm) The process has been somewhat painful, but my body is adapting. Now, my main goal is to keep Tanner on 50% live breast milk through the winter. Due to the fact that he was preemie, and is now in daycare, I feel that it is even more crucial for him to receive the immunity benefit throughout the flu season and respiratory illness time period. The frozen breast milk doesn't provide that benefit, but is still very good for him.

Having said all of that, I now have a story to tell, well more like a drama or stressful saga! My mom, aunt GeGe, Tanner, and me all went to visit family in Bolivar today. I took my pump (actually Melody's pump) with me and pumped in the backseat of the truck on the way back home. I have done this one other time using an A/C adaptor and the cigarette lighter. It worked like a charm the first time, but decided to completely stop working 3/4 of the way through the pumping this time. The adaptor was extremely hot to touch and the machine would NOT come back on, even using the 120v outlet back at home. So, beginning at about 4pm, I called anyone and everyone that I could think of to find out who could rent a breast pump on a Saturday! I knew I had to pump again around 8:45 and time was ticking! Let me tell you, I was stressed out!!! I got online and called Target, Walmart, and ToysRUs. There was one breast pump in town for $279. That was going to be my last resort. I called the 1-800 Medela number to find out that they don't work on the weekends. I was thinking, "I cannot be the first person this has happened to on the weekend!!!" I called both hospitals, the women's center, friends, family, the NICU, the maternity ward, a medical supply rental, and then my son's pediatrician! The urgent care nurse called two different medical rental facilities. The first one that returned the phone call was a male and he admitted that he had no experience with breast pumps and didn't know how to help me. Geez, I wasn't asking him to use the darn thing! I literally prayed at this moment. If God wanted me to continue to provide breast milk for my son, then He needed to make this happen, and soon! About 20 minutes passed while I waited for a phone call from the urgent care nurse. Then, within a 5 minute time-period, she called me back and told me that the regional emergency medical supply man would be calling.
Then, a friend of a friend called and said that she had a Medela pump that was just collecting dust, and that I was welcome to use it as long as I needed it! We made plans to meet tomorrow after church! WOW!! Then, the regional guy called and arranged to meet me at the support center. He took the newest model demonstration pump off the shelf and told me to take it for the remainder of the weekend. We'd touch base on Monday and decide what to do from there. I could rent it or return it and we'd just deal with it at that point. No money exchanged hands whatsoever. I offered to pay for his gas and time since he met me on a Saturday evening, but he refused. How nice is that? So, tomorrow, I will actually have two pumps at my house! WOW again!!! My aunt summed this whole story up by saying that obviously God still wants Tanner to receive my milk. I think she's right!
Sidenote: Kodi, please show Emmarie that the lil' recycle outfit she got Tanner now fits him! Thanks again!!